Breaking: WH will sue Arizona over SB1070

posted at 2:05 pm on June 18, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

CBS News reports that a “senior administration official” has confirmed to them that Hillary Clinton was telling the truth in the interview with an Ecuadorian media outlet. The Obama administration will file a lawsuit in federal court to block Arizona’s new law requiring law-enforcement personnel to check immigration status while processing suspicious people already in custody:

It was unclear yesterday whether Clinton’s comments were simply a prediction or mistake or whether instead she was getting ahead of a planned announcement by the administration.

Now a senior administration official tells CBS News that the federal government will indeed formally challenge the law when Justice Department lawyers are finished building the case. The official said Justice is still working on building the case.

Wow … just wow. What a tremendously incompetent manner in which to announce the decision. The Obama administration informed the Ecuadorian people of this decision before the White House informed Americans. I’m not sure if that’s Hope and Change, the New Transparency, or Smart Power.

Governor Jan Brewer blasted Obama and his administration for their handling of this policy direction. I agree, but perhaps she can take comfort in it. After all, an administration this inept is unlikely to successfully walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone challenge the validity of their new immigration-enforcement law. Meanwhile, Obama will continue to pursue a policy that is even less popular than his ObamaCare bill, just in time for the midterm referendum on his first two years in office.